How to Fly Away
by questionableatbest
Summary: Daisy Dursely enters her 5th year at Hogwarts, and finds herself drastically unprepared for her OWLs, and just about everything else that the wizarding world has to offer her. The obvious solution? Become an animagus to avoid dealing with her real problems, of course!
1. Prologue

Daisy Dursley knew that she shouldn't have snuck away from her grandparents' house to walk home, but she also knew that she could not stand to be around Granny Petunia's incessant fussing anymore.

She was _eleven_ , and she could take care of herself. She did _not_ need the older woman hovering over her every move, and planning playdates with William Fitzgerald across the street, and practically crying when she got mud on her outfit.

The walk from Number 4 Privet Drive to 37 Magnolia Crescent was a short one, and it was one that the young girl knew well. Many times over the summer, she'd been forced to plan an escape much like the one she was in the middle of, and it seemed like the adults never learned. Her mother thought the whole thing was hilarious, laughing at ' _that ridiculous look on Petunia's face- why, it looks like she's got a stick up he_ r-' while her father merely shook his head and made her apologize to her grandparents.

She made good time on her escape, and was just rounding on the driveway leading up to her house when she noticed a strange looking bird sitting on her front porch. She walked closer to it, but slowed when it didn't fly away like most birds would. Instead, it tilted its head to the side, and studied her just as closely as she was studying it.

She was just about to take a step closer, when the familiar sound of a car rolled to a stop behind her. Distracted, she turned to see who it was, and saw her father appraising her with raised eyebrows and a look of bewilderment on his face.

She knew she would be in trouble for sneaking away from her grandparents', so she bowed her head and waited for him to get out of the car.

For his part, Dudley Dursley was no longer surprised when his daughter was waiting outside of their house at the end of the day, rather than at his parents' place. No, he wasn't surprised, but at the moment he _was_ shocked by the bird resting on the porch behind her.

His little Daisy had been showing signs of magic for longer than he could remember, and Harry had warned him what it meant, but it was still a shock to see the bird sitting on his porch, much like one had done all those years ago when he was young.

After a few moments of her father not getting out of the car, Daisy started to grow confused. She looked up at him, just in time to see him spring to life again.

"Hello Flower," he said, opening the car door and climbing out of the vehicle, not sounding nearly as angry as Daisy had been concerned about.

"'Ello Daddy," she said tentatively. She was about to ask how his day was, when the almost-forgotten bird behind her made a shrieking noise, that startled her into turning back towards it.

"How long has that been there?" her father asked, closing the distance between them and resting a hand on her shoulder, but not moving any closer to the bird.

"I dunno, I just got home," she replied with a shrug. However her nonchalance was shortly lived, as she went back to studying the creature and, in doing so, noticed something strange about it. "What's that tied to its leg?"

"Looks like a letter to me," Dudley said, before moving around his daughter, towards the bird, who gazed at him warily but made no move to fly away.

A few more steps and Dudley was close enough to touch it, but choose not to. Instead, he reached out his hand and held it still in front of him for a few moments, before the owl caught on. It raised itself from where it was perched, and dropped the paper in his hand, before coo-ing once more, and flying away.

Returning his gaze to the paper in his hand, Dudley realized that his suspicions had been correct. "Here darling, it's for you."

Daisy's eyes widened as she took the paper from her father and saw that her name was in fact written across the envelope. She looked up at his unwavering gaze for a moment, before she looked back at the envelope and tore it open without a second thought.

"' _Daisy Marge Dursley, You have been accepted to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?_ '" she read slowly, stumbling on a few of the words and, altogether, being more than a little bit confused by the whole thing. "What does that mean, daddy?"

Dudley swallowed the lump in his throat and looked down at his daughter's confused, hopeful face. "You remember Uncle Harry, right?" he asked, kneeling down so that the two of them were on eyelevel.

Daisy did in fact remember Uncle Harry. They went to his house for Christmas Eve Dinner every year. There were always lots of children, and lots of food, though the children all knew each other better then they knew her, so sometimes she felt left out. Still, she nodded her head and waited for her father to continue.

"Well, this is the school that he went to, and that his children go to," Dudley explained in the simplest way he knew how, trying not to let his fear detract from the excitement growing on her face. "It's a school where you learn to do magic."

"Like the boy with the hair that always changes?" she asked, hoping dreadfully that she would learn how to do that. Even at eleven, she was already tired of her dirty blonde hair that was a combination of her father's blonde and her mother's brown.

"Sort of, yes," Dudley said, knowing that he wasn't the best person to answer any of these questions. "I'll tell you what, darling. Let's go inside, and I'll send your Uncle Harry a letter- see if he can come over and tell you all about it. And while I'm doing that, you can give your Gran a call and apologize for running away again."

* * *

AN- SO if anybody is interested, I've already got about 5 chapters of this story finished!

While the prologue took place with Daisy as a girl, the rest of the story is going to start off in her 5th year and it's been a lot of fun to write so far, so yeah- I'm about 99% sure nobody's read this far which is why I'm still rambling on, so I'm going to stop that now...


	2. Five Years Time

"You'll actually write to me this year, then? Twice a week, like you promised?"

"Of course I will," Daisy Dursley said for what felt like the millionth time that morning. Her and her father were standing on the muggle side of Platform 9 ¾ saying their goodbyes, which were turning out to be as taxing as usual.

"I'll believe that when I see it," Dudley muttered, before he let out a sigh and pulled his daughter in for a hug, which Daisy hated. Still, she held on for a few moments, before his grip became near suffocating.

"Come on dad, I'll see you in a few months," she protested weakly, finally pulling away from his grasp and smiling wryly. "And I really will write."

He smiled back warily, but nodded his head. "Alright then, off you go."

She was more than ready to push her trolley through the gateway and be back in the Wizarding World, but she caught the lonely look on her fathers' face and she felt a pang of regret. She took a quick step towards him, and wrapped her arms around his neck one last time.

"I love you," she said quickly, pulling back before he actually had a chance to respond.

"Right then," he replied, his posture stiffening slightly at the sentimental tone the conversation had taken, "Have a safe trip."

Daisy nodded her head once and smiled at that, and then turned away and walked straight into the solid brick wall, successfully crossing over to her world.

She immediately saw her extended family standing in the middle of the crowded station. Her Aunt and Uncle were saying their goodbyes to James, Al, and an excited looking Lily, and Daisy considered stopping by to say hello. That thought left her head the moment it entered, as she realized that they were standing in the middle of Weasley pack, with Molly right beside them.

As much as Daisy appreciated the elder woman's fussing, she really didn't think she could handle any more hugging in one day, so she opted to head straight for the train and wait for her friends in a compartment.

She realized quickly that most of the rooms were occupied, either by bags left behind to save seats or by groups of people ready to depart. She was considering moving somebody's bag out of a compartment and taking it over for herself, but decided against it a moment later, knowing that Roxanne would disapprove.

Instead, she kept walking down the hallway and eventually came across an empty room. She stepped inside and struggled for several moments, before she finally got her trunk safely stored in the overhead unit and heaved a sigh of relief, collapsing onto the bench.

While she waited for her friends she pulled out her phone to distract herself, and was pleased to find that she still had service. She checked Facebook and then sent a final goodbye message to her father (' _Does this count as letter #1 for the week?_ '), and then opened Candy Crush. No matter how great magic was, she'd never understood why wizards refused to adapt muggle technology.

A few minutes after the train's horn rang out signalling its last call, the door to her compartment flew open courtesy of James Potter, who was using his wand to levitate his trunk behind him.

"Whatever happened to 'no magic outside of school'?" Daisy asked, eyebrows raised as she watched her friend levitate his trunk effortlessly into the same storage unit that she'd struggled with earlier.

"We're on our way to school- its close enough," James shrugged, dropping down into the seat across from her and snatching the phone out of her hands in the process. "You mind?"

"Do I have a choice?" she retorted, though she ended her protesting there. She knew how amazed he was by muggle technology, and she found it infinitely amusing.

Before he actually had a change to answer, the compartment door swung open again and an out of breath girl leaned against the door. "Thanks for the help James, really," Roxanne Weasley said, directing the sarcastic comment towards her cousin, who didn't even bother to look up.

"You've got a wand- you're just too chicken to use it."

"Some of us plan on graduating _before_ we get arrested," she said, before turning to Daisy with a mock-stern expression on her face, which was usually reserved for imitations of her grandmother. "Honestly, he would be in Azkaban by now if it weren't for us."

"Possibly even dead- or at least locked up in St. Mungo's," Daisy agreed, returning her best friends smile and ignoring James' protests, before standing up and wrapping her arms around the girl. It was the first time she'd seen Roxanne in months, so the occasion warranted a hug.

"Neither of you hugged me," James pouted, as they parted and Roxanne sat down beside him and rested her feet on the bench beside Daisy. "Glad to know you care."

Roxanne said, "I saw you last night," at the exact same time that Daisy said, "We don't."

"Thanks guys, really."

"I've seen you almost every week this summer," Daisy said, rolling her eyes slightly at her friends' dramatics. "Roxanne's been in Romania. There's a bit of a difference."

"I went to Romania as well," James said indignantly, looking back at forth at the two girls with an incredulous look on his face. "I just had to leave after a week. I had other responsibilities. We can't all spend out summers running around dragon conservatories, now can we?"

"Responsibilities? Is that the nice way of saying that you had to babysit Al and Lily?" Daisy asked with raised eyebrows. James matched her expression, the way he always did when he felt he was being challenged.

"Yeah well, seems you've been quite busy as well," he smirked, before flashing her the screen of her phone, which was currently opened to a conversation. "Who's this Will Fitzgerald bloke?"

Roxanne made a noise that was somewhere between scandalized and excited, while Daisy's eyes widened slightly as she realized what James had been reading. "Give me that," she demanded, lunging for the phone a moment too late, as James had already handed it over to Roxanne, who held it out of her reach mercilessly.

"He's cute, I guess. Not really my type," Roxanne shrugged after a moment, before finally handing the phone back to Daisy, smirking slightly. "And he's going to miss you."

"What-" Daisy cut herself off, glancing at her phone and realizing how James had found out about the boy in question. He'd sent her a text a few minutes ago.

 **Will Fitzgerald, 11:07** \- _Daisy, would you just return my messages already? I hate to end things the way we did. I just want to talk._

"It was nothing," Daisy said quickly, though one look at her friends told her that they didn't buy it. "He lives down the street from my dad and we… _reconnected_ this summer, is all."

"Just how much _reconnecting_ did you do?" James asked, getting a shove from Roxanne as a response.

"That's none of your business," Roxanne defended her, though the glance she threw Daisy's way was more than a little bit curious.

Daisy shrugged. "We went out a couple of times- mostly just made out. He's not the best at conversations- or much else that involves having a brain, I suspect."

James snorted at that. "What's he mean, ' _I hate to end things the way we did_?'" he asked, showing just how thoroughly he'd read her messages.

"Suppose he thought we were soulmates or something. He was a tad upset when I broke it off," Daisy said, brushing over what had actually occurred. She'd liked Will more than she was willing to let on. She'd had fun with him during the summer and it hurt her to break up with him, but she knew how badly muggles handled the news of magic, and she knew that he couldn't know about Hogwarts. Instead of elaborating on the situation, she turned to Roxanne. "It was all dreadfully boring, really. _Please_ tell me Romania was more exciting."

Roxanne's entire face light up at that. "It was fantastic," she gushed, "Uncle Charlie is so cool- I mean, I got to hang out with dragons _every day_."

Daisy smiled at that, and nodded for Roxanne to go on. It was obvious that the girl was excited, and seeing Roxanne get excited was like watching her come to life all over again. Daisy was more than happy to sit back and listen to her friend gush on about dragons, deterring the occasional joke that James made with one of the many snide comments she had resting on the tip of her tongue.

They were interrupted an hour or so later when Roxanne's older brother Fred poked his head into their compartment. He was already donned in his robes, with his Ravenclaw prefect badge shining on his chest and his typical, serious look on his face that melted when he saw his sister.

Daisy was always surprised by how nice his smile was, on the rare occasion that he let it show. Unfortunately, it disappeared when his gaze fell on her and James, before he cut straight to the point. "Have you lot seen Hugo anywhere?" he asked, glancing around the compartment as if he expected the boy to appear at any moment.

"Have you checked with Lily?" James asked, lacking the concern that was clearly present in his older cousin.

"They're in a fight, apparently," Fred replied, in a voice that said he had learned far more about the eleven year old's drama than he'd ever wanted to know.

"What about?" James asked, either not picking up on Fred's irritation, or choosing to ignore it. Either way, it made the situation a lot more amusing for Daisy, who enjoyed nothing more than watching the Weasley-Potter children squabble.

"Apparently they have differing opinions over which houses they'll be sorted into, and retain the idea that you can't be friends with people outside of your house," Fred said evenly, before he turned his level gaze on James. "Do you have any clue where they got that idea?"

"None at all," James replied quickly. The smile he was fighting off said differently. Daisy distinctly remembered James spreading the same rumors the summer before Al had started Hogwarts, and wasn't at all surprised that he'd done the same again.

Still Daisy couldn't help but jump in, taking James' side easily. "I didn't realize that official prefect business involved policing the thought of eleven year olds," she commented, earning a smile from James and a much more petulant one from Fred.

"Normally it doesn't, but seeing as how you three haven't attempted to tear this place apart yet, I've found myself lacking any real work to do," he replied, keeping his tone overly pleasant but dripping with sarcasm.

James and Roxanne laughed at the older boy's deadpan, but Daisy desperately didn't want to give him that satisfaction. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she said, feigning innocence as she stared up at him with wide eyes. It only took a moment for him to let out a snort and roll his eyes, before looking away.

Being best friends with Roxanne meant that her and Freddie had spent a lot of time together over the years, but it definitely did not mean that they got along. Roxanne knew that all too well, and she took pity on her brother for it. "Why are you looking for him anyways?"

"His mum asked me to check up on him. Apparently he's not a fan of trains."

"Funny, I just saw him on his way to the roof- something about Al daring him to ride atop it? He didn't seem particularly scared then," Daisy chipped in, smiling innocently up at him and getting another eye roll in return.

He then ignored her entirely, which didn't surprise anybody.

"If you see him, let him know I'm in a compartment down the hall," he said, directing the comment towards Roxanne, before retreating from the room.

"Of course we will- it'll let him know what area to avoid if he wants to have any fun," Daisy called after him, enjoying the sigh he visibly let out, and the way he shut the door just a little bit harder than necessary. Once he was gone, she turned to her friends. "I see the healers haven't managed to remove the stick out of his ass yet."

James roared with laughter, while Roxanne pursed her lips. "He's not that bad," she insisted. "You just manage to bring out the worst in him."

Daisy beamed at her. "It's a talent."

"Is that what you're calling it these days?" Roxanne asked, though her serious expression gave away to chuckle moments later.

"You haven't seen him all summer; of course you can tolerate him now," Daisy insisted, "Normally come September you're just as ready to kill him as the rest of us are."

"Well maybe I'm trying to change; no more teasing," Roxanne said, with a determination in her voice that slipped a second later, when James raised an eyebrow in appraisal. "I said _trying_ , alright? I didn't say that it'd actually work..."

The conversation flowed easily from there, and they approached Hogwarts faster than anybody had realized. Eventually, Daisy excused herself to change into her robes.

On her way back from the changing cart a flash of familiar red hair caught her eye, and she turned to see a sick looking Hugo Weasley sitting in a compartment by himself. She didn't know the boy well- she'd seen him at a family gathering or two though they'd never really talked- but she didn't want to leave him alone, so she let out a sigh and knocked on the door.

She let herself in when he looked up, and forced a smile on her face. "Hello there," she said, her voice sounding unnaturally gentle, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he said quickly and insistently, but the way he bit his lip and hugged his arms around his center told Daisy differently. She remembered her first trip on the Hogwarts Express and she remembered feeling the same way.

Still, he'd said he was fine and she was half tempted to leave it at that, but then his bottom lip started to quiver and she cursed inwardly. "You know, Freddie was looking for you earlier; he's just down the hall- I can take you there, if you'd like," she offered, continuing when the boy looked hesitant, "I'm sure he wouldn't mind the company."

That seemed to seal it for the boy. He nodded his head and stood up, reaching for his trunk which Daisy ended up helping him with. "This thing must weigh twice as much as you," she commented as they made their way down the hall, before stopping abruptly in front of the compartment that she assumed was Fred's.

"Go on in then," Daisy prompted, but the boy's face blanched and he froze in place. Assuming that he was simply shy, Daisy stepped around the trunk and peered into the compartment, only to find that Fred Weasley was _definitely_ not alone.

Daisy had heard the rumors that him and Stephanie Vane were interested in each other, but she hadn't realized just how much truth there was to them. The amount of face sucking going on in the compartment left little to the imagination.

She made a mental note of the entire thing, knowing that it would make good blackmail material in the future, before she turned away to face Hugo. The boy was looking more traumatized by the minute, which Daisy sought to fix. "Right then, I guess you'll be coming back to my compartment."

The uncertainty was back on his face, but when she bent to pick up the trunk they'd dropped he grabbed the other end, and then they were back to walking down the hall and back to Daisy's friends.

"Freddie was a bit occupied," Daisy said as way of explanation, dropping back into her seat and waving for Hugo to take the spare one, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

Roxanne sent her a questioning look at that, to which Daisy simply shook her head in a way that said ' _you don't want to know_.'

When the train pulled into the station a little while later, the group of friends opted to avoid the rush, and waited for everybody else to get off before they began to. Hugo, on the other hand, ran ahead of them, running off to find Hagrid with the other first years.

When they finally did get off the train, Daisy saw Fred directing the traffic around the carriages and couldn't help but smirk. This was by far the first time she'd known him to do anything that didn't fit his perfect reputation, and she was going to cherish it for as long as she could.

They got on a carriage eventually and rode it back up to the castle, which was lit up beautifully and looked as welcoming as ever against the backdrop of the cool evening.

As always, Professor Flitwick was waiting at the gates to record their names.

"Hello Professor," Roxanne said amicably, though the aging man didn't return the warmth.

"Names?"

Instead of pointing out the obvious fact that Professor Flitwick had known the three of them for five years, James bowed elaborately. "I'm Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister of Magic and all around very cool person. These are my body guards."

"Impersonating the Minister is a crime, Mr. Potter," the teacher said, finally looking up from his scroll and tisking impatiently.

"I'll tell him that next time I see him. He'll find it hilarious," James said, never above name dropping, as usual. Still, Flitwick looked even less impressed then he had when the conversation started, so Roxanne jumped in and gave him their names.

"Right then, get going," the man dismissed them, turning back to his scroll and leaving the three students to enter the castle.

Daisy was always amazed by how extravagant the place was, though her friends' bickering did cut down on that.

"Honestly, everybody you meet doesn't need to know that you know the Minister," Roxanne chastised, swatting at her cousin's arm, which he easily dodged.

"Well then what's the point in even knowing him?" James protested, prompting a smirk from Daisy, while Roxanne only rolled her eyes.

"So that he can bail you out of prison when you inevitably land yourself there."

"Come on Roxie, you sound like a broken record," James complained, looking to Daisy for back up.

For her part, Daisy just shrugged. Having Harry Potter as a sort-of-uncle, and a distant one at that, had spared Daisy from the lime light that her cousins had grown up in. It also meant that she couldn't relate to a lot of their feelings on the matter, and mostly stayed silent when it was brought up in conversation.

Still, James rarely accepted defeat that easily and looked like he were about to continue on his argument with Roxanne, but was cut off when they arrived at the entrance of the Great Hall, finding that it was already packed. Luckily, there were a few spots near the end of the Gryffindor benches that hadn't been taken up, and that suited Daisy just fine. She sat on the very end, across from James and beside Roxanne, and enjoyed the extra space that the empty seat on her left side allowed her.

Not long after they'd sat down McGonagall tapped on her glass, the sound echoing out across the room and silencing the students almost immediately.

"It's a pleasure to have you all back here this year," the headmistress spoke, her voice carrying across the hall effortlessly and drawing the attention of everybody there. In particular, the first years standing at the front, waiting to be sorted, looked entranced. "Before we can begin the feast, the Sorting Ceremony must commence. Professor Longbottom?"

The man in question stepped forward, pulled out a scroll, and began reading from a long list of names. Daisy grew bored of the whole thing quickly, and took to looking around the room. Nothing particularly interesting was happening, though she did notice Freddy making eyes at Stephanie, and made a mental note that she really would have to bother him about it later.

Eventually Lily Potter's name was called and she was sorted into Ravenclaw. Shortly after that they neared the end of the list, and Hugo Weasley's name was called. The boy looked twice as nervous as he'd been on the train, which was definitely saying something. Professor Longbottom offered him a reassuring smile before he sat on the stool, and then the hat was placed on his head. It only sat there for a moment, before it called out ' _Gryffindor_ ,' in a voice that sounded almost bored with how obvious the choice was.

The boy looked shocked, though the expression quickly grew into a pleased one as the entire table burst out into applause. In particular, James and Roxanne and the rest of the Gryffindor Weasley's whistled and whooped loudly, welcome their cousin to the house.

Once the room had quieted down and the hat had moved on to the next student, James leaned in. "You know, I'm happy that he's Gryffindor, but I could have sworn that one would've been Hufflepuff."

Roxanne rolled her eyes at that. "Just because he's quiet, doesn't mean he's a Hufflepuff, really."

"He's not just quiet," James protested, "The boy's afraid of his own shadow, for Merlin's sake."

"That doesn't mean he's not brave; or that he doesn't value bravery," Daisy pointed out, "I mean look at you; you had nightmares for weeks after I showed you The Poltergeist, and you're still Gryffindor."

"Oi- don't say that so loudly; I've got a reputation to uphold," James said, running a hand through his messy hair and looking around to make sure that nobody heard, prompting amused snorts from both his cousins.

"Do you? I hadn't heard," Daisy teased, smirking at the exaggerated gasp that James let out.

"Well then, I'll have to work even harder on it this year."

"I'm sure McGonagall will be pleased to hear that."

"She loves me, I swear! I keep her job interesting," James insisted, and looked like he was about to continue, but it was that moment that the food appeared on platters in front of them, distracting him from whatever else he had been about to say.

They helped themselves to the gratuitous amounts of food, stuffing their faces and leaving little room for conversation. However, Daisy excused herself a little while after that, wanting to get back up to her dorm and beat the crown that normally ensued when one tried to leave the Great Hall after a feast.

Rather than going straight back to the Gryffindor common room, she decided to take the long way back. It involved cutting across the yard, stopping by the owlery, which was one of her favourite places in the castle.

Especially late at night, it was quiet and empty and peaceful. The view was fantastic, and not many people ventured up there without need. She found herself leaning against one of the glassless window sills, staring out at the grounds and breathing in the fresh air, and she felt more at peace than she had all summer.

By the time she made it back to the common room, nearly everybody was in their dorms. She waved to James and a few of the other boys in her year who'd gathered around the fireplace, but didn't stop to talk.

She entered her dormitory quietly, and found that her roommates were already asleep, or getting ready.

She smiled at Alice Bell and Imogen Brown, who were both preparing for bed, and tiptoed past Olivia Perks, who already seemed to be asleep. Her trunks were waiting for her by the bed in the furthest corner, by the bed beside Roxanne's.

She briefly considered unpacking, but the second she sat down she knew that it wasn't going to happen. Her bed was warm and welcoming, and she was asleep within five minutes.

* * *

AN- If you're enjoying this story and you want to hear more please let me know! It's a lot of fun to write, but I've never really written characters that are (essentially) OC's before, so I would love all of the feedback I can get!


	3. The Middle

Daisy woke early the next morning, and dragged an exhausted Roxanne out of bed and down to the Great Hall. James eventually joined them at the table, and they ate together while they waited for Professor Longbottom to hand out their schedules.

When Daisy got hers, she was sufficiently underwhelmed. She had Muggle Studies first, which was enjoyable because of how easy it was, followed by Potions, which was possibly her favourite course. After lunch she had Transfiguration and Divination, both of which she didn't particularly care for. The next day on her schedule was even worse, with its only redeeming quality being History of Magic, but she opted to ignore that.

James was staring at the paper in his hand, somehow managing to look even less impressed than Daisy did. "I've got to deal with Muggle Studies _and_ Divination, all in one day?"

"You're the one who choose to take them in the first place," Roxanne said unsympathetically. "Though why you did, I'll never know."

"They're easy marks, is why," James said, before looking pointedly at Roxanne. "Some of us _care_ about that stuff, you know."

That brought a smile to Roxanne's face. "Luckily I don't have to- I'll be out of here for good at the end of this year."

"If you pass your OWLs," James pointed out, getting another eye roll from Roxanne.

"Like that'll be a problem."

"I can't believe you're leaving us," Daisy grumbled, interrupting their bickering to voice her displeasure at Roxanne's decision to leave school after she completed her OWLs. "You're sure you don't want to stick around, just for fun?"

"Sorry Daze," Roxanne said, almost sounding like she meant it, "But there are bigger and better things waiting for me outside the world of higher education."

James snorted. "Like what- the fascinating landscape that is Diagon Alley?"

"Eventually, yes," Roxanne said matter-of-factly, "But that'll only be once I'm tired of working with Uncle Charlie in Romania."

James rolled his eyes and Roxanne glared at him, and suddenly Daisy had had enough of the conversation. "I forgot my notebook," she said, standing up abruptly and discarding her half-finished tea, "I'll see you guys later."

The halls were a lot more crowded than they had previously been, so Daisy took the long way back to the Gryffindor tower. Unfortunately that meant that, by the time she made it to her Muggle Studies room, the class was already underway.

She slid into a seat beside Olivia, another Gryffindor girl who also happened to be a muggle born, and ducked her head to avoid the glare that Professor Avery was sending her way. After a few moments of him glaring at her and her avoiding it, he sighed and continued on with his lecture.

"As I was saying, you will all be writing your OWLs at the end of this year, and I expect nothing but the best from my students. I know very well that most of you were raised by muggles and, as a result, think you automatically know everything these is to know about this course, but common knowledge will not be enough this year."

Daisy tuned him out after that. He was right about her reasons for taking the course, though she doubted he was right about the work becoming more difficult. The culminating task of last year had been a 2000 word essay on a 'cultural phenomenon.' It was the only time her extensive knowledge of Star Wars had ever actually come in handy.

Despite an easy start to the day, Potions was anything but. While Professor Patil was normally a serious woman, her demeanor had shifted entirely this year, as was evident when she delivered a speech that mirrored Professor Avery's.

"It's like they're preparing us for war," James muttered into Daisy's ear, as the woman at the front of the room continued to lecture them.

Daisy shrugged him off, and tried to give the teacher her full attention. The class was challenging, but she'd always enjoyed potions. She liked the idea that, simply by mixing things together in the instructed manor, she could create something entirely new, and Professor Patil had always been encouraging. Still, the 1000 words on the properties of mandrake leaves in healing spells due Monday was almost enough to change her mind on that.

James said as much at lunch. "It's like they're trying to kill us- we're going to drown in papers before the week is through."

"You've only had two classes," Roxanne said, apparently over their disagreement from earlier in the day. "How bad can it be?"

"Awful," James said darkly, and Daisy nodded her head in agreement.

Roxanne only rolled her eyes at that, and turned back to her food. Daisy followed suit and the three of them ate in silence for a few minutes, until she felt the bench shift beside her and looked over just in time to see Dean Finnegan sitting beside her.

He smiled at her, which she found odd. She waited a moment too long to return the gesture, and by the time she did he was already focused on shovelling food onto his plate.

She turned back to her friends, who were now looking at her with raised eyebrows. She shrugged and tried to focus on anything but their looks, which only seemed to encourage them.

"Good summer, Dean?" James asked amicably, overtop of Daisy's head.

"Good enough; I spent most of it preparing for this year," he said, getting a nod from James and a confused look from Daisy. He caught on to that and explained, "I'm Gryffindor's new Quidditch captain. I've got a whole new strategy worked out."

"Oh- cool," Daisy said lamely, when it became apparent that he was waiting for a response. Luckily, James was always ready to talk about Quidditch, and he jumped in.

With both of them distracted, Daisy was finally able to turn back to her food and eat it in relative peace, ignoring the brief questioning look that Roxanne sent her.

If she'd thought Potions class was difficult, then it was a miracle that she survived Transfiguration at all.

Despite being Headmistress of the school, Professor McGonagall still enjoyed teaching, and did so at her own discretion. This year, she'd chosen to take on an OWL level fifth year course, and it just so happened to be Daisy's.

"As you are all well aware by this point, I expect the best from all of my students. This class is no exception. Those who work hard will be rewarded, and those who do not will suffer the consequences."

The woman may be aging, but it only added to the intimidation factor. She paused then and seemingly made eye contact with every single one of her students, before she turned back to the blackboard and continued on with her speech.

However, unlike her other teachers so far, Professor McGonagall did eventually instruct her students to pull out their wands. She then distributed beetles, and pointed them to the instructions on the board.

She made her way around the classroom slowly, checking her students' progress. They were tasked with making the beetles disappear entirely, and it was turning out to be much more difficult than expected.

For her part, Daisy hadn't even tried yet. She was still reading the instructions on the board and cross referencing them with those in her book, when McGonagall descended on her.

"Ms. Dursley, at this rate the only way you will succeed in making the beetle disappear is if it runs away," the teacher admonished, peering down at Daisy expectantly.

Daisy bit her lip to keep from saying anything stupid, and realized that the teacher wasn't leaving until she tried out the spell. With that thought, she turned back to the beetle and pointed her wand at it, well aware that her teacher was watching, and read the spell in a clear voice. Her wand twitched in her hand momentarily, before it stilled. Nothing happened.

"Very well," McGonagall said, pursing her lips in a tight line and turning away. "You'll do best to figure this out _before_ your OWLs."

Roxanne and James sent her sympathetic looks from across the room, while most of her classmates snickered. She ducked her head and went back to reading the textbook, waiting for the bell to dismiss her.

By the time Daisy made it to Divination class at the end of the day, she was about ready to drop out of school altogether. Luckily, Professor Trelawney took a different approach to teaching.

"I am very pleased that you have all chosen to join me again, for what I am sure will be a very revealing class," the woman said from the front of the room, her frail hands resting on the back of her chair, and her glasses enlarging her eyes to epic proportions. "As you know, you will all be taking your OWLs at the end of this year and, while I do not believe that the _art_ of divination can truly be tested, we must prepare for it anyways."

Most of Daisy's classmates were staring at the professor with looks of disbelief on their faces, while the other few looked genuinely entranced. Coincidentally, James was in the first group.

"According to my dad, all you have to do is predict your own death and you'll get full marks," he whispered to Daisy, nodding his head when she raised her eyebrows. "He said she used to predict his at least twice a year."

"Well she was right the one time, wasn't she?" Daisy pointed out, which got a shrug from James.

"After hearing the stories that him and Uncle Ron tell once they're a few drinks in, I'm surprised she wasn't right a few more times."

Daisy snickered at that, and it drew the teachers' attention to her. "Is something amusing, Ms. Dursley?"

Daisy hated being put on the spot, and said the first thing that came to mind. "Oh no- quite the opposite, actually."

When her classmates dissolved into fits of giggles she realized her mistake, though she was too late to remedy it. The dazed quality left the teachers voice as she stood up a bit straighter. "Well then, I wouldn't want to keep you. I'll welcome you back next class, at your convenience, of course."

Daisy wanted to defend herself, but the look on the woman's face told her that it was pointless. She gathered her stuff as quickly as possible and ignored the apologetic look on James' face as she rushed out of the room, only slowing down when she heard the door swing shut behind her.

She slowed to a stop a few steps after that, taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart. She didn't consider herself shy, but she also hadn't expected the teacher to call her out so publically. The whole thing had surprised her, and when she was surprised she panicked.

She was still standing on the stairs calming her breathing a few moments later, when she heard a pair of footsteps ascending and opened her eyes in time to see Fred stopping in front of her.

His forehead furrowed when he caught sight of her, and for a moment he looked worried.

She spoke before he could say anything that might border on caring. "What are you doing here?"

"I go to school here. I thought you'd have picked up on that by now," he said, the concern lessening, though not quite disappearing.

"Shouldn't you be in class then?" she snapped back, at which point he crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows in what seemed to be a challenge.

"I've got a spare period. I'm meant to patrol the halls and report people who are skipping class," he said, looking pointedly at her, at which point she inwardly cursed and decided that the best option was to simply walk away. Evidently, he didn't agree. "Currently that means you, Daisy."

She'd only made it down a few of the steps before he'd stopped her and she was forced to reason with him. "Fred, it's the first day of classes. Would you give me a break?"

"If it's the first day of classes is it really too much to ask that you would go to them?"

"I did," she muttered at that, swallowing her pride when she continued, "Trelawney kicked me out."

His eyebrows practically hit the ceiling. "Care to explain?"

Daisy bit her lip and looked away. When she looked back and saw genuine curiosity on his face, she let out a long sigh. "She caught me and James talking, and I accidentally called her class boring."

Fred laughed at that. "You always did have a way with words- but how do you manage to _accidentally_ insult somebody like that?"

A part of Daisy knew that his teasing was harmless, but she also grew tired of it quickly. "Can I go?" she demanded, cutting off his gloating.

Her anger caught him off guard, but he stepped aside anyways. "Be my guest. But do at least try to keep yourself out of trouble from now on, would you?"

The condescending hint in his voice was far more than Daisy could handle in her present state. She spun around just before she turned the corner of the spiral staircase, and looked at him with the most innocent expression she could manage.

"Of course I will," she said, before she put every ounce of sugar possible into her voice and asked, "But tell me, just out of curiosity, how much trouble would a prefect get in for neglecting his duties and snogging his girlfriend for the better part of a train ride?"

Freddy's face turned bright red at that, and he sputtered for a moment. It gave Daisy just enough time to punctuate the statement with the most insincerely sweet smile she could muster, and then spin on her heel and walk away.

\\\

While it seemed to take forever, the weekend did arrive eventually, much to Daisy's relief. She was fully prepared to ignore the mountains of homework she had and sleep for two days straight, but a beam of sunlight through her curtains woke her up around seven o'clock in the morning, and she was unable to fall back asleep.

She gave up when her stomach started growling, and decided it was time to head to the Great Hall for breakfast. She changed as quickly and quietly as possible, surpassing her uniform in favor of her muggle clothes, and settling on her favourite pair of leggings and her father's old Lancaster U sweater. She then tip toed her way out of the dorm, past her fast asleep roommates and out the door.

The common room was practically empty and there were only a few more people in the hallways, some of whom she smiled at, but most of whom she ignored. She made it to the Great Hall soon enough, and was headed straight for the Gryffindor table when, even in her sleep-hazed mind, something caught her eye and she made a slight detour towards the Ravenclaws.

"You lost already, kid?" she asked, casually plopping herself down onto the bench beside Hugo, who was sitting across from Fred. The older boy didn't look impressed with her presence, but he also didn't say anything.

"Freddie said we can sit wherever we want as long as it's not a feast or something," Hugo explained, nodding towards his older cousin, who smirked at Daisy in a way that said ' _you know I'm right_ ,' which she ignored.

"And you're choosing to sit with him?"

"You are too," Fred jumped in, when Hugo only shrugged. He looked pointedly at her and raised his eyebrows. "And it's not exactly like I invited you to, so…"

"Somebody ought to warn this boy about the dangers of being associated with a prefect," she said quickly, while holding back a slight grin. She could tell she was getting under his skin, and that he desperately didn't want it to show.

"And here I thought you just liked spending time with me," Fred sighed, a hint too dramatic for it to be believable.

Daisy snorted at that. "Right, and I don't know if you heard, but pigs have also learned to fly," she said, before turning back to Hugo, who was watching the exchange with fascination. "Surely you've found somebody more interesting to hang out with by now."

While the mood between the three of them had been light -if not slightly hostile- before, Daisy felt a distinguished shift in it then. Hugo bit his lip, and Fred shot her a warning glance, before he said, "I happen to think I'm wonderful company for breakfast; I doubt there's anybody more interesting than me in this entire castle."

Daisy once again snorted, and decided not to grace that with a reply. Instead, she turned to Hugo and waited until he was looking her in the eye before she spoke, her voice a bit softer than usual. "Never mind that; you'll get there. It took me _days_ before your cousins would talk to me- and look at Freddie; even _he_ has friends, for Merlin's sake. You'll make loads of them in no time."

Hugo smiled slightly, and Fred shot her a grateful look. She felt her cheeks go red, so she pursed her lips and looked away quickly, spotting James in the process.

"Speaking of better people to sit with," she said, looking pointedly at Fred before sending an exaggeratedly meaningful look towards the now giggling Hugo, "I better go make sure James isn't sleep walking again."

She ruffled the younger boys' hair and sent a brief smile towards Fred, and then she was gone.

"What was that about?" James asked, once she'd situated herself across from him at the table.

"I was just saying hi," she shrugged, brushing it off and turning her full attention towards the food in front of her. The selection was as elaborate as ever, but she settled on a scone and a cup of tea.

James, on the other hand, had taken a large portion of just about everything, and was shovelling it into his mouth at record speed. When he caught the eyebrow she'd raised at him, he stopped for a moment. "Quidditch tryouts are today; I'm carb loading."

"Won't the extra weight just slow you down?" she asked, getting an eye roll in response.

"It's for energy," he explained, "Dean's the captain this year and he's asked me to help him out. I'll be out there all day."

"Right," Daisy said, in her usual _'I don't know anything about Quidditch but my best friend treats the sport like a religion so I'm just going to go with it'_ voice.

She'd spent the week listening to James talk about the tryouts and, as a result, there was a good chance that she was more ready for them to be over than anybody else. Still, she nodded her head along as he continued to talk about the sport and she did her best to sound interested, because she knew how important it was to him.

He left shortly after that, heading to the Quidditch pitch to prepare, but not before he made Daisy promise that she would stop by to offer her support (' _It's a matter of house pride, Daze'_ ). By then the Great Hall was starting to fill with students, so Daisy also made her exit, but not before refilling her tea cup and bringing it with her.

She headed back up to the Gryffindor common room, taking her time and enjoying the castle in the morning.

When she got there, she found one of the muggle books that she'd brought with her for recreational reading and settled in a chair, and was still there a few hours later when Roxanne stumbled out of the dorm in her pajamas.

"Does it always have to be so fucking bright in here?" Roxanne groaned, collapsing onto the chair beside Daisy and covering her face with a throw pillow.

"I've heard the sun occasionally has that affect," Daisy responded, mildly amused and not at all surprised by Roxanne's inability to deal with mornings. "Though if you keep trying, one of these days you might succeed in becoming entirely nocturnal."

Roxanne muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like a suggestion of something rather explicit that Daisy could suck on, before she raised her voice to a level that her friend could here. "What time is it anyways?"

"Almost one, I think."

Roxanne seemed to accept, but her eyes widened after a moment. "Shit- did we miss the tryouts?"

"I didn't realize you were going out for a spot," Daisy teased, to which Roxanne sent her a slightly exasperated glare, still too tired to fire an actual insult back. "I saw James at breakfast- he said he'll be there all day."

Roxanne nodded her head at that, before excusing herself to go get changed. Daisy took the time to finish the chapter she was on and then dropped it in her bag and followed her friend out of the common room.

As soon as they arrived at the Quidditch Pitch, Daisy realized why the rest of the castle had seemed so empty. It looked as if every student at the school had gathered to watch the Gryffindor tryouts and show their support and, as a result, the stands were packed. Daisy was about to suggest that they sit on the grassy area of the pitch near where the players had discarded their belongings, but that plan was foiled when Olivia stood up and waved to them.

Daisy looked to Roxanne, who simply shrugged and headed towards the girls. She knew Olivia and her best friend Raina, and she knew that the other girls were in their year, though she couldn't recall their names.

Still, they said their hello's amicably, before Roxanne and Daisy sat down and turned to face the Quidditch pitch.

"So, how do they look out there?" Roxanne asked, nodding her head towards the Quidditch players who were currently flying from one end of the field to another, apparently racing.

Olivia shrugged. "They could be worse; it seems like everybody's practiced and improved over the summer, but it really all depends on whether or not they can fill the spots they lost last year."

"They're looking for a new beater?" Roxanne only sounded mildly curious, and Olivia nodded in response.

"And a keeper."

"They'll be hard pressed to find one as good as Bones was," Raina said appreciatively, which Daisy found strange, as the girl played for Slytherin's team. "He practically held their team together last year."

"Well then, you must be happy that he's gone," Daisy pointed out frankly, before she could stop herself. "Maybe your team will actually have a shot at winning this year."

Roxanne elbowed her at that, and Daisy let out a sharp gasp. Olivia apparently missed that exchange, and turned to Raina. "I don't know about that; you guys lost a few players too. Honestly, the Ravenclaw team looks like the best of the lot."

"We'll have to wait and see, I suppose," Roxanne interjected then, taking note of how tense the conversation had become and bringing it to an abrupt end. "How have you all been finding your classes?"

That was a discussion that brought about no disagreements. All of the girls agreed that their teachers were being harder on them than ever before, and that if they never heard the term 'OWLs' again, it would be too soon.

Only Roxanne seemed unconcerned about the tests, but the only reason Daisy noticed that was because of how well she knew the girl. To anybody else, the fact that she nodded along to everybody else's complaints would have been enough to sell her agreement. Daisy wanted to bring it up, but she decided not to in front of the other girls.

Instead, she focused her attention back on the Quidditch pitch, and focused on her cousin, who was hovering on his broomstick beside the boy she recognized as Dean, watching the other players take shots on the net. It seemed as if they were very intent on judging the keepers.

She watched them for a while and it seemed as if they noticed because, after a few minutes, Dean turned away from the players briefly and waved to her. She raised her eyebrows and it took her a moment, but she waved back.

Of course, it didn't escape the notice of the girls she was sitting with. "You know, he's been single since last spring," Olivia pointed out, much to the amusement of the other girls, and to Daisy's bafflement.

"Has he?" she asked lightly, looking away and praying that the blush would fall from her cheeks.

"Yup," Olivia nodded earnestly, "Him and Jenna Romain broke up early March, and then he was with April Lou for a few weeks, but there hasn't been anybody since."

Daisy made a noise insinuating vague interest, but didn't say anything else to that. Instead, she let the conversation grow from there, and tried to hold back vomit when the other girls started talking about James.

It was then that Roxanne sent her a ' _for Merlin's sake not this again'_ look, and the two of them excused themselves.

"Honestly, do they not realize that he's out cousin?" Roxanne complained as they headed back towards the castle, shaking her head and shuddering at the turn the conversation had taken. "Besides, when have I ever shown interest in conversations about boys?"

"Didn't you kiss Ernie Coulson in second year?" Daisy asked, thinking back to the unfortunate game of truth or dare. Roxanne groaned, apparently remembering it as well.

"Trust me when I say, if I wasn't a lesbian before that, I definitely was after," Roxanne joked, scrunching her nose in distaste, before a smirk appeared on her face. "Though speaking of boys, what was that with Dean?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Daisy said quickly, before changing the subject entirely. It was a blatant lie, but Roxanne didn't push her on it and for that Daisy was grateful. She'd noticed the attention from Dean over the past few days but wasn't sure what to make of it, so she ignored it.

When they got back to the common room Roxanne claimed exhaustion, and headed back to her own dorm for a quick nap. Daisy, on the other hand, new that if she slept now she wouldn't sleep at night, and that was a viscous cycle that she wanted nothing to do with.

Instead, she found her potions text book and started reading the chapters that Professor Greengrass had assigned.

She was still there, fully engrossed in the book, an hour or so later when James came bolting into the room, drawing the attention of just about everybody in it. He let out a visible sigh of relief when the portrait swung shut behind him, and then he caught sight of her and headed over.

"I saw you stop by tryouts," he said nonchalantly, dropping into the seat beside her. He was still slightly out of breath, his hair ruffled, and it looked like his hands were covered in dirt.

Daisy was somewhat put off that she'd been pulled away from her reading, so she just raised her eyebrows and waited for an explanation of his current state. It didn't take long.

"The Slytherin team showed up shortly after you left the pitch, and they had a few choice words to say about our recruits. I may have left them a parting gift or two in their changing rooms- what else was I supposed to do with the dungbombs I had lying around, anyway?"

"I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure you weren't supposed to have dungbombs lying around to begin with," Daisy said, though she couldn't hold back a smile for long.

Despite Raina being alright, the rest Slytherin Quidditch team was filled with the most fowl people at the school, and it was always nice to know that they didn't get away with everything, even if their discipline came in less conventional forms.

James smiled back and wiped his hands on his pants, before nodding towards the discarded textbook in her lap. "Have you started Transfiguration yet?"

She let out a bark of laughter. "You'll know when I start Transfiguration. I'll be lying on the floor crying."

"It's that difficult, then?" James asked dejectedly, as if he'd been hoping for a different response. Daisy's solemn nod told him all he needed to know. "For Merlin's sake, you'd think McGonagall'd go easier on us. She's the Headmistress after all; she's got to have better things to do than read twenty different papers on ' _the logic behind the magic of animagi_.'"

Daisy didn't offer a reply, but she did make a sympathetic face and a noise of agreement, and that was enough for James to continue.

"I mean, what does she want from us? At this rate, it'd be less work to actually become animagi," he said incredulously, building himself up to a rant and then stopping suddenly, which drew Daisy's attention. She saw the wheels turning in his brain, and she wasn't sure she liked where it was headed.

"Of course, that's not actually an option…" she said as if it were the most logical thing in the world.

"My grandfather was one- and my dad's godfather. Apparently they figured it out while they were in school," James said, as if he'd already decided on something, and was now thinking over the logistics of it. "It can't be that hard, can it?"

"Well I guess you won't know until you've finished your paper," she said smartly, which seemed to bring him back to the realm of the logical.

"Oh yeah," he muttered, before he picked himself up off the couch and excused himself. He was back ten minutes later, with washed hands and a pile of textbooks, which brought a bitter smile to Daisy's face.

"You know, I never thought I'd see the day when James Sirius Potter spent a Saturday night studying," she said, getting an eye roll out of him for it.

It wasn't until hours later, when the common room had almost cleared out and Daisy was considering sleep, that the portrait opened on last time and Roxanne tiptoed in. Her hair was mused, and she looked like she'd been caught in the middle of something. Daisy raised her eyebrows when they made eye contact, but Roxanne brushed it off and headed straight to their dorms.

"What do you think that was about?" James asked, pulling himself back into a sitting position, and staring after his cousin.

Daisy shrugged and proceeded to listen to James speculate for a few more minutes, before she followed her friend up to bed. She hadn't realized just how tired she was, until she fell into a deep sleep, almost the moment her head hit the pillow.

* * *

 **AN- Please let me know what you think! Any/all advice is appreciated! :)**


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